HR Bulletin Volume 138

Neurodiversity: How to unleash the power of a cognitively diverse workforce

Identifying neurodiversity in the workplace can greatly influence creativity and innovation in your company.

Nowadays, companies value the diversity of age, race, gender and culture in the workplace. Having a wealth of experiences from different people brinIn fact, diversity in terms of age, race, gender, and sexual orientation can directly boost a company’s productivity, as different workers have different skills, areas of work, and abilities they enjoy

An article published in the Harvard Business Review, however, challenges this notion

The missing piece of the puzzle

Alison Reynolds and David Lewis explained in their article that they reviewed the performance of a diverse set of people in terms of age, gender, and ethnicity over the last 12 years.

Reynolds and Lewis reviewed an average group size of 16 that consisted of senior executives, general managers , MBA students, teachers, scientists, and teenagers They found that some groups fared exceptionally well while others fared quite badly, irrespective of age, gender, and ethnicity

“If not diversity, what accounted for such variability in performance?” asked Reynolds and Lewis. Because they wanted to determine what caused groups to perform well and badly, they began to look beyond the usual criteria for diversity. In the end, they discovered that cognitive diversity, also known as neurodiversity, might be at play.gs about a wide range of ideas and experiences that can increase a company’s success in the long run. What is cognitive diversity?

Cognitive diversity or neurodiversity is defined as differences in information processing styles or perspectives. Factors such as age, race, gender, or sexual orientation do not predict it

It involves the way individuals think about and engage with new, complex, and uncertain situations Unfortunately, cognitive diversity is less visible than the typical markers of diversity It is also affected by cultural factors, particularly the functional bias, which happens when recruiters only hire people that reflect their own image

According to Marcelle Ciampi, an international neurodiversity expert, a person may be considered neurodivergent when he or she has been diagnosed with a difference in neurological functioning, and conveys outlying skills and attributes.

Although neurodiversity encompasses all brains, employers are encouraged to create an inclusive and supportive environment for people with specific neurodivergent conditions such as autism, dyslexia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Doing so empowers individuals in being more agile, innovative, and creative How to unleash the power of neurodiversity in the workplace

Reynolds and Lewis’ review proved that teams could solve problems better when they’re more cognitively diverse When employees are not struggling to fit the confines of a neurotypical workplace, they are free to think, create, and work in ways that works best for them

There is no single definition of what a “normal” brain looks like. When companies expand how they design workplaces that are suited for neurodiversity, they can provide a creative sandbox for employees. How can you empower and unleash the potential of neurodivergent employees? Below are the steps:

Ask for feedback. Start by asking your employees their duties and responsibilities at work. It’s highly likely that a huge percentage of your employees are neurodivergent because most people in your company will think differently from each other They don’t have to reveal medical conditions in their feedback, but you can ask them which parts of the work experience could be made more accessible or inclusive

Provide flexibility Your entire workforce will benefit from a flexible work-from-home or hybrid setup, but even more so for neurodivergent employees They can set their own routines and schedules, and work from anywhere they like

Educate your employees. Offer chances for managers and contributors to learn about neurodiversity and how to accommodate neurodivergent people. Hiring managers can understand neurodiversity better and they can adjust to their interview styles to suit the candidate’s skills. Create resources for neurodivergent employees…

The key elements of a thriving business partnership

Successful partnerships require a shared goal of creating a positive, collaborative environment that brings out the best in each member.

An enabling ecosystem at work and home along with knowledge, skills, competence and attitude are important ingredients for a successful and fulfilling professional career.

There are many books, articles, self-help guides, and courses for enabling career progression, and building effective professional partnerships. Many progressive organisations have structured programs for skill building, networking, career progression, mentoring and coaching. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), and Allyships are also made available to employees for enhancing career progression Unfortunately, not much focus is paid to the essential partnerships at home Partnerships at home significantly contribute to successful careers and their importance should not be overlooked More so for women professionals, key partnerships at home and at work can be game changers

This article focuses on identifying, building and leveraging the key partnerships at home

What are partnerships

Partnerships are arrangements between two or more people who agree to share responsibilities, and ownership, take an active interest in the other, and combine resources and skills for shared success. It requires commitment and investment from each party to ensure partnerships are long-lasting, impactful, satisfying, and fun.

Partnerships are not just an issue of fairness and equality but one of efficiency…

Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/infocus/what-makes-asuccessful-business-partnership-37155

Managers, avoid these performance review biases

Unconscious bias can affect how accurately and fairly managers assess their employees' performance, resulting in unjust outcomes.

The annual organisational ritual of performance evaluation is one that everyone involved, from employees to managers to the Human Resources (HR) team, hardly looks forward to.

While the purpose of this evaluation is to identify areas of strength and improvement, share constructive feedback, and develop strategies to address any identified gaps, the evaluation often ends up being a last-minute exercise that doesn’t necessarily deliver on its promise of a meaningful, growth-focused evaluation. Instead, as managers try and collate data and feedback to piece together an assessment, the result is often an unplanned, ambiguous, and unsatisfactory discussion layered with multiple ‘unconscious biases’ that are often subjective. Coupled with the unpreparedness, these biases have a negative influence on the process of evaluation

As humans, we are all biased in one way or the other Our brain often jumps to assumptions and conclusions without us truly being aware of them In his research, Nobel Prize winner, psychologist Daniel Kahneman, demonstrated one simple truth: the vast majority of human decisions are based on biases, beliefs, and intuition, not facts or logic So, it isn’t all that surprising when we bring these biases with us to performance assessments and evaluations. In this specific context of performance evaluations, unconscious bias can affect how accurately and fairly managers assess their employees' performance, resulting in unjust outcomes. While we all may be biased, being aware of these biases is the first step to minimise their risk and impact in the workplace…

Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/performancemanagement/managers-avoid-these-performance-review-biases-37150